Logan City Council has rejected a proposal for a $75 million soccer hub at Slacks Creek and ordered a report into the current lessee’s performance because it wants to see more kids playing sport on the fields.
Football Queensland presented its plan for Meakin Park to become an elite training centre and home of football in Queensland at Logan City Council’s Thriving Community Committee in July.
Football Queensland chief executive officer Robert Cavallucci said the first stage would involve spending $8.5 million to refurbish fields, lights, drains and irrigation at Mappas and Meakin parks, creating a six-field international-standard training venue.
That would be followed by a $55.3 million redevelopment of the adjoining Queens Park to include a 2000sqm Football Queensland headquarters, a women and girls academy and a sports science, sports medicine and strength and conditioning centre.
A third $12.3 million stage would create an indoor futsal academy with two synthetic fields.
“With council support, Logan can unlock a major community sporting precinct that is designed to serve the local community and play its important role in Brisbane 2032 and beyond,” Mr Cavallucci told the committee.
He requested an expansion of Football Queensland’s current leases to cover six of the fields, as well as a 25-year extension, with an option for a further 25 years, saying a longer tenure was necessary to secure State Government funding for the project.
But Logan mayor Jon Raven was sceptical the proposal was the best way to use the sports fields to benefit Logan residents.
“You’re currently in control of the largest football facility that we have in the city and it’s the least utilised football field that we have in the city,” he told Mr Cavallucci.
“I drive past there multiple times a week. I’m lucky if I see kids out there and, most of the time, it’s with lights out after hours because I don’t think they’re there with your permission,” Cr Raven said.
He said community sports clubs wanted to train at Meakin Park but were told the fields were full or couldn’t be used.
“Based on that past performance, I just don’t understand how we could possibly consider giving you future [tenure],” Cr Raven said.
“The $70 million thing sounds really nice and shiny but, if it’s an elite enclave – your words – and it looks like it will be because it’s very big, it’s very, very expensive, it’s not about activating it for the community.
“It’d be great for you to have a home in football, but it doesn’t feel like it’d be great for the kids in Logan,” Cr Raven said.
Mr Cavallucci said he had no intention of displacing existing lessees and the proposal would support football, touch, rugby league, rugby union and hockey.
Current site users include Beenleigh Senior Rugby League Club, Logan Hockey Club, Logan City Rugby Union Club, Meakin Park Junior Sporting Association, Logan City Radio Controlled Car Club, Logan Off Road Radio Controlled Car Club and Kingston East Neighbourhood Group.
Cr Raven moved a motion, passed 7-5, that the council was not supportive of the master plan, rejected the 50-year lease request and ordered an immediate performance audit into Football Queensland’s compliance and community access under its current lease.
Councillors Tony Hall and Jacob Heremaia voted against the motion, councillors Natalie Willcocks, Karen Murphy and Mindy Russell abstained and councillor Lisa Bradley was absent for the vote.
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